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The Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) is the world's largest organization serving the professional and business interests of attorneys who practice in the legal departments of corporations, associations, nonprofits and other private-sector organizations around the globe.

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New Research from the Association of Corporate Counsel, in Partnership with FTI Consulting, Compares Australian-specific data with global findings from the 2025 ACC Chief Legal Officers Survey. 

Melbourne, Australia – Forty-five percent of Australian Chief Legal Officers (CLOs) reported increased complexity of internal investigations, compared to only 31% globally, according to the Australia Supplement to the 2025 ACC Chief Legal Officers Survey (CLO Survey), released today by the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC), in partnership with FTI Consulting, Inc. The CLO Survey provides a unique, global perspective on the evolving role of the chief legal officer (CLO) position and trends related to legal departments’ involvement in helping organizations adapt to a demanding business environment. This year, a supplemental report compares Australian-specific data to the results of the global survey. 

“Greater complexity of investigations and identifying understaffing as their top concern are just some of the insights found in this regional data,” said Veta T. Richardson, ACC President & CEO. “The ACC CLO Survey with this Australian-supplemental data provide ACC Australia Chapter members and the larger Australian legal community with unique insights to help inform their own strategies and conversations with each other and how they relate to their global peers.” 

Several of the key Australian findings include: 

  • Reporting Structure:
    • 57% of Australian CLOs report directly to the CEO, significantly lower than the 79% globally.
    • Among those not reporting to the CEO, 48% in Australia report to the CFO, similar to the global average of 44%.
  • Investigations & Disputes:
    • 53% of Australian CLOs report an increased volume of internal investigations, compared to 44% globally.
    • 45% in Australia report increased complexity of these internal investigations, versus 31% globally.
  • Strategic Priorities:
    • 33% of Australian CLOs rank operational efficiency as their top priority, similar to the global average.
    • Data management and data security are higher priorities in Australia while globally, the right-sourcing of legal services and technology implementation are higher priorities.
  • Top Concern: Understaffing:
    • The top barrier for Australian CLOs is having an understaffed legal department (21%), followed by regulatory uncertainty (18%). This is in line with the top concerns globally.
    • Document management tools are a bigger priority in Australia (58%) compared to 32% globally. Contract management tools are more popular globally (62%).
  • Outside Counsel Reliance:
    • 31% of Australian CLOs increased their reliance on outside counsel in the past year, lower than the global average.

“Two of the most striking findings were how many fewer Australian CLOs report to the CEO compared to the global average and that understaffing was ranked as the top concern,” said Mike Madden, past ACC Global Board Chair, current Board Member of ACC Australia, and Group General Counsel, Company Secretary & Ethics Officer of Equans ANZ. “Having this type of regional data is not only important to help better understand trends and priorities, but it can help us drive conversations around these key issues with our Australian colleagues. That is exactly what the 2025 ACC CLO Survey aims to do globally, and with this Australian-supplemental data, we can add a regional lens to these important insights.” 

The ACC CLO Survey data can be found here. The Australia-supplemental data can be found here.

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About ACC
The Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) is the premier global legal association that promotes the common professional and business interests of in-house counsel who work for corporations, associations and other organizations through informationeducationnetworking, and advocacy. For more than 40 years, ACC has set the standard for in-house counsel and raised awareness regarding the value of the chief legal officer in the C-suite and boardroom. With more than 48,000 members employed by over 12,000 organizations and spanning 117 nations, ACC connects its members to the people and resources necessary for both personal and professional growth. By in-house counsel, for in-house counsel® remains the foundation for ACC’s market leadership. For more information, visit https://www.acc.com/ and follow ACC on LinkedInTwitter, and Facebook.

 

About FTI Consulting
FTI Consulting, Inc. is a global business advisory firm dedicated to helping organizations manage change, mitigate risk and resolve disputes: financial, legal, operational, political & regulatory, reputational and transactional. With more than 8,300 employees located in 34 countries and territories, FTI Consulting professionals work closely with clients to anticipate, illuminate and overcome complex business challenges and make the most of opportunities. The Company generated $3.49 billion in revenues during fiscal year 2023. In certain jurisdictions, FTI Consulting’s services are provided through distinct legal entities that are separately capitalized and independently managed. More information can be found at www.fticonsulting.com.

 

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